Courses at Startup Institute will help you to build the technical skills, culture skills, and network that will launch you into the growing tech community. Our 12-week Part-Time "nights & weekends" courses feature a number of career-changing benefits including access to an extensive network of local startups and innovative companies looking to hire Startup Institute students. In addition to our signature immersive courses, we also offer introductory courses designed for people who need to... (View In-Depth Report)

Christine Zimmermann, Startup Institute

2017/05/02

We get a lot of questions about the admissions process for our full-time program. Our Admissions Guide is a great place to start to get your questions answered—offering details about what we’re looking for, the kinds of interview questions you can expect, and the process timeline.

THE APPLICATION:Q: WHAT’S THE #1 THING THAT YOU WISH PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT THE APPLICATION THAT THEY DON’T?A: That applying isn’t a formal commitment.

The application and our admissions process is an exploration. Applying simply opens the door to having a conversation about possibilities and what’s right for you.
We only admit about 18% of people who apply. The reason for this is because we’re outcomes-driven: we want to make sure we can help you achieve the outcome you seek. As far as thinking about if this is a fit for someone, I’m looking to determine: is the work a place where they’re going to be able to tap into their ultimate fulfillment and joy professionally? Is the culture fit there? Does their expectation of the outcome match up with what we know will be possible? Because we are outcomes-driven, we won’t bring someone into this program unless we have a match in terms of an understanding of where this person realistically will land when they come out of the program.

The application simply tells us that you’re interested in having a conversation, and we’ll happily have that conversation with anyone who completes a thoughtful application.

The videos, in my opinion, are the greatest. Another thing people will sometimes do is go on LinkedIn and search for people who’ve done the program, and read about their backgrounds.

The reason for this is, we only have 30 minutes for this interview, and it’s your choice how you want to spend it. Do you want to spend that 30 minutes diving into you and figuring out your situation, or do you want to spend it learning about Startup Institute? Our admissions team is happy to spend this time explaining what Startup Institute is, but if we don’t have to do that we can make a lot more headway talking about what matters to you and your individual career goals.

At the end of the day, we want everyone to leave our admissions process better than they came—regardless of if Startup Institute is right for them. So, if someone gets to spend that time investigating options, digging into things, and talking about their background and what they want to do, it’s going to be a more constructive conversation—both in terms of understanding if our program is a fit for their career, but also in terms of the bigger picture.

Q: HOW DO YOU HELP CANDIDATES TO DEVELOP INSIGHT AROUND THEIR CAREERS?A: The key is to talk about it in a context that is solution-focused. When someone is dissatisfied with their job, it’s very easy for them to get stuck in this infinite loop of “this isn’t working. I’m really unhappy. I’m really unhappy.”

The people who make great students for us are solution-oriented. They’re builders and they’re doers. Having a problem that they don’t know how to solve—being stuck in this negative place—is at many times incredibly dissonant. They think I’m the kind of person who’s positive. I like solving problems. So, when they’re saying “I’m unhappy in my job” and they’re stuck in this loop of negativity, the energy that would normally go toward finding a solution instead goes toward digging deeper and deeper into the situation—feeling worse and worse.

Our admissions process is about having constructive conversations about what’s possible, beyond what people consider to be the “normal paths,” which are to just get a different job, or go to grad school. We talk about the potential for other options, and what other things can be changed or addressed. We try to go back to the things you’ve really enjoyed in the past and the things that you’re really hungry for and miss, and we talk about how we can be constructive about finding a positive direction to go in, so that you can break out of the loop.

THE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTQ: WE’VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE INTERVIEW PROCESS AND WHAT YOU’RE EVALUATING. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CANDIDATES SHOULD BE AWARE OF GOING INTO THE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT?A: First of all, if you have questions, you should always reach out. This homework assignment is not meant to assess how independent you are.

The purpose of this assignment is to find out if the kind of skills you’ll learn here will be a place where joy happens. As you work through the assignment, you should actually pay attention to how much you’re enjoying it—Is it fun?

This is one thing that I test for while I’m trying to help people figure out which of our four skills tracks is right for them. I’ll be like, “Okay. I get that you can do it, but is there a visceral joy in it?” We’re not just looking for you to know how to do it. We want to know that you can do it, and that you like it.

Q: WHAT IF THEY DON’T FEEL THAT JOY?A: Then we talk about it. There are a lot of other paths that we can take. We can do another assignment to try a different track. If the homework doesn’t represent that place where joy happens, then we explore, and we look for something else. We’re happy to do that.

Q: TO WRAP UP, WHAT IS THE WORST MISTAKE THAT SOMEONE CAN MAKE IN OUR ADMISSIONS PROCESS?A: This is going to sound really trite, but the worst mistake is to not apply because you feel like it is a commitment.

Certainly, being yourself and expressing yourself isn’t a mistake. I know there are things that people have felt they did wrong. But, at the end of the day, the purpose of our admissions process is to find out if Startup Institute is a good fit for you. Usually, these candidates portrayed themselves as who they are. And, given who they are, they wouldn’t be happy in this program. Maybe they’d get here and think, “What did I sign up for? I don’t care about building a network.” Or, “I don’t want to work on soft skills.”

Our admissions process is service-oriented. When we built this team, the idea was that we’d create a process that really represents what Startup Institute’s program is all about. It is an opportunity for candidates to explore topics that are important to them and their careers. If you’re trying to identify the source of your career dissatisfaction or unhappiness, our admissions process, from a service perspective, is built to help you create more insight around that. It can only be helpful for you.

Are you interested in exploring how Startup Institute’s can help you launch a new career you’ll love? Start your application today to get the conversation started.

“To me, Startup Institute was less about learning hard skills than about working on soft skills that are key to thriving in Startups. SI's emphasis on EQ (emotional intelligence) wasn't something I was looking for when I started, but it has had the most impact on my daily life as a product designer at a rapidly growing startup. And I know the entire SI experience played a big part in the job I ...